Make You Glad You Came
by BrazenMonkey
Summary: His eyes were still focused on hers, neither of them drawing back as their hands still touched. For one instant, she could have sworn the air had crackled and her heart thudded loudly against her chest.
1. Darcy

A/N: Again a short-cut, again Loki/Darcy, I hope I won't bore you! This is dedicated to Sara60691, who came up with the idea of a fancfic where they meet for the first time, I hope you like it! Again, feel free to leave your opinion, whether you liked it or not, as a review, I am always happy to read them!

Soundtrack: The Wanted - Glad You Came

* * *

_Well, this is awkward._

Darcy flipped back her thoroughly styled hair and let her gaze drift over the assembled people.

The party held on the occasion of the victory over plus recruitment of Loki seemed to her like a charade.

Not only because she could not imagine someone like Captain Rogers let loose on the dance floor alongside Barton or Nick Fury finishing shots next to someone like Tony Stark, a living playboy. But rather because she felt as if S.H.I.E.L.D. had chosen the wrong venue.

The lofty roof terrace right in the middle of New York, a city that had only days ago been destroyed to the ground, had an amazing view, surrounded by grayish sky scrapers and laying beneath a star-filled sky. Still, one could not shake the images of destruction that had dominated the city and was carved into its inhabitants' minds.

The arrangement were nice, though. A decent bar, a couple of seating gathered in small rounds, waiter and waitresses handing around fancy snacks.

Still, Darcy could not help but feel as if put into the wrong round. After so much loss and so much war, it felt simply inappropriate to celebrate.

Wit a sigh, she smoothed her tight dark green dress and clung even more to her glass of champagne. Unconsciously, she took a sip only to distort her face with unhidden revulsion. She had held it in her hands for too long – it was luke warm.

_Yuk, _Darcy thought and after carefully checking that nobody would noticed, she poured it into one of the gorgeous vases placed on several stands throughout the terrace.

Squaring her shoulders, she set of to the bar across the floor, hoping to get a proper cocktail to lighten her mood.

"Darcy!"

It was Jane, one hand tenderly intertwined with Thor's paw, the other one reaching out to her. As usual, she was a vision, her hair stray of amber and brown silk, her petite body wrapped in a flattering shift dress and her eyes sparkling with affection and the first signs of tipsiness.

"We hadn't had any chance to talk, girl!", she giggled and smiled at her wildly.

Darcy internally grinned. Jane was the sweetest person ever, even when being drunk.

"Yeah, you know what, why don't you guys wait for me while I go grab a nice drink. I'll just come right back to you, okay?", she said evasively, longing for a moment of solitude. _Just me and a drink._

Jane laughed and twinkled. "Sure thing."

Darcy oppressed a smug grin and shot a glance to Thor, who seemed exceedingly uncomfortable wearing a suit.

"You better take good care of her, big boy."

His booming laugh startled her, as always. But his answer was genuine. "I always do."

And with his sweetheart in his arm, he moved on.

Finally, Darcy arrived at the bar and found it to her great relief completely empty.

The bartender leant over to her. "What can I do for you?", he asked with the cutest smile.

Darcy internally sighed. _Too bad you're not my type._, she thought, scanning his sweet but ordinary appearance. Brownish hair, a bit too tousled to look careless, a smile even in his brown eyes. The typical nice but boring boy.

"A Gin Tonic, please." Usually, she hated Tonic Water but this evening screamed for drastic measurements.

"Two."

Darcy swirled around to follow the husky but enchanting voice.

He was tall, dark and extremely handsome. Though he was not her type, at all, just like the bartender who started mixing their drinks, his aura pulsated with charisma and something that made Darcy's skin jolt.

Green eyes in a mesmerizing face, framed by pitch-black hair. His pale skin looked even brighter against his dark suit and was in perfect harmony with his white shirt and dark green tie. Something about the way he held his head, how he stood perfectly upright vibrated with pride and confidence. One hand resting on the counter, the other hid in the pocket of his pants, he looked classy and attractive.

Loki. The conquered and newly recruited villain. The reason why they partied and the reason why partying was not yet appropriate.

Darcy squared her shoulders and did not look away as he directly stared into her eyes, green locking into blue. _No need to be intimidated. Hell, someone like him can probably smell fear._

She ventured the first step.

"I don't believe we have met.", she said.

Her opponent only slightly frowned and by the way his eyes ran down her figure, Darcy knew he did not care.

_Well, if I was the Prince of Asgard, I could at least afford some manners!_, she thought grimly.

"I am Darcy Lewis. I work for Jane Foster." She did not bother sticking out her hand.

Loki furrowed his brows and bent his head. "I see. The unqualified intern."

She oppressed a hiss. But she wouldn't do him that favour. She had class, after all.

"And you are Loki, I suppose, the unsuccessful megalomaniac.", she retorted with a motionless face.

A moment of silence followed.

Then, with a nod of his head, Loki held out his hand which Darcy hesitantly took.

"Pleased to meet you, too.", he replied simply.

Their gazes were still locked into each other. And suddenly, a grin stole across Loki's face and he laughed freely while he still held her hand.

Darcy could not help but smile at him. _At least he can laugh at himself._

His eyes were still focused on hers, neither of them drawing back as their hands still touched. For one instant, she could have sworn the air had crackled and her heart thudded loudly against her chest.

The sound of two glasses being placed on the counter interrupted the moment and their hands parted.

Loki raised his drink towards her. "Miss Lewis."

She searched his eyes again. "Loki."

They toasted and Darcy could see sparks of mint, emerald and even pastel green in his eyes, making her heart gallop again.

_Maybe this party is not so bad after all, _she smiled internally. She was even glad she had come.


	2. Loki

_Blending with the mortals, dull and brainless._

Loki adjusted his dark green tie and gazed down the enormous building on top of which this rather tedious party was held.

The Avengers had assembled and bathed in their complacency of having saved the world from him, Loki. They had enslaved him, had traded his head on a silver plate handed over to Odin for his oath to be at their service.

And now he was also forced to partake in this farce.

A farce it was, for they were celebrating their victory open to a world who had but weeks ago feared its own destruction by his hands, and now he was their new figurehead of how the good always would win.

At least that is how Nicholas Fury had put it. _To give the people new hope,_ he had stated.

How naïve and how inappropriate. But what could one expect of a pool of loud and shallow creatures?

Loki looked to the stars and enjoyed the cool air. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D was wealthy enough to hold a party fit for a prince to engage in – except for the guests, of course. On top of one of New York's finest sky scrapers S.H.I.E.L.D had spared neither cost nor effort to set up a classy venue.

Funny, how everyone avoided him. Not that it bothered him, au contraire. He could not care less whether one of the so-called heroes would search his company.

But right now, he was not able to enjoy his solitude. Loki let out an annoyed sigh. "You do realize I know that you are standing behind me?"

He knew by the way he approached him, by the sound his feet made on the ground who it was. After all, he had read his heart and mind.

Barton suddenly stood next to him, clothed in a tailored dark gray suit, his face as usual stern, in his hand a glass of champagne.

"Nobody can sneak up upon me.", Loki declared.

"I didn't plan on sneaking.", Barton replied.

Loki grinned. "Did you come for a revival of our former relationship? I do remember you to be quite a pleasant and loyal fellow. At least when controlled."

He loved to see how Barton had to control himself and swallowed whatever witty response he had in mind. He was forced to, everyone was obliged to do their best to keep him, Loki, from lashing out again. Still, it took all his limited patience not to give into whatever emotion rushed through him. Loki's grin got wider. People were so predictable.

"No. I simply wanted to make sure you we're doing... well." His tone, though meant to be intimidating, did not impress Loki. Who was Barton to impose a threat to him?

Loki's face relaxed and a smugness crept into his traits.

"Why, how thoughtful. But I am doing quite well. I might go seek a conversation with Miss Romanoff, I'm sure you know how I _love_ to chat with her.", he said.

Again, he enjoyed seeing how Barton's jaw clenched and how his hand was grasping the glass even stronger. Humans, typically, letting themselves be led by their simplest emotions. As if Loki would have any interest in the stiff Black Widow. As if he hadn't seen in Barton's head how pathetically smitten the man was with his colleague. As if he cared.

"I don't think she would have the same opinion on _chatting _with you.", he replied with gritted teeth.

Loki grinned again. "Probably not. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have another drink."

He turned around and left Barton, happy to get rid of any unneeded company.

The bartender, probably as dull as he looked, was currently busy flirting with a woman who appeared to be waiting for her drink as well.

"A Gin Tonic, please.", she ordered with a huffy voice, obviously rejecting him.

"Two.", Loki added, taking place beside her.

She turned around and with her swift movement, Loki could smell her fragrance, a mixture of almonds, vanilla and honey.

She wore a dark green dress that wrapped around her curves perfectly, the dark green colour a nice contrast against her pale skin while her soft waves of chestnut hair fell effortlessly around her shoulders.

He looked deeply into her blue eyes, only to find them not as shallow as expected, more a swirl of shades with a gray inner circle.

Usually people would fringe away from his direct gaze but she replied his look without any hesitation.

"I don't believe we have met.", she said, breaking the silence.

_Of course not, silly girl. How would we?_, he frowned internally at her clumsy try to start a conversation.

"I am Darcy Lewis. I work for Jane Foster.", she went on, casually ignoring his standoffish attitude.

Lewis? Ah, yeah, he remembered her. She had accompanied his brother's mortal lover to the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters the day Loki had been forced to sign his 'contract' with Fury. His first rather complaisant impression of her was replaced by his memory of a giggly, plain girl.

"I see. The unqualified intern.", he said, already anticipating a similar reaction to Barton. One could not help but love teasing people.

But somehow she managed to surprise him.

"And you are Loki, I suppose, the unsuccessful megalomaniac." was her answer, without any trace of intimidation or anger.

His first impulse was to teach her a lesson about how to address someone of his status and rank. But, to his great irritation, he found her answer far too enjoyable to be angry with her. Maybe it had been far too long since he had talked to someone who would not be immediately scared of him. And she definitely was not. A welcome change.

Instead of trying to deter her, he held out his hand to introduce himself properly. "Pleased to meet you, too.", he said and she took his hand while curiosity and wonder mirrored in her face.

It was then Loki realized he had been staring into her eyes for the whole time.

Unconsciously, a smile stole across his face and a strangely free laugh fell from his lips. Darcy, still holding his hand, replied with a silent smile.

Their touch was not uncomfortable, rather pleasing and Loki noticed how her smile made her eyes sparkle with little specks of light.

The bartender had finally managed to finish their beverages and his graceless hands placed the two glasses on the counter with a loud thud.

With another smile, Loki held up his glass towards the young woman. "Miss Lewis."

Her eyes locked into his again and for one more time, he examined the various hues of blue in her eyes, from midnight blue to cyan blue.

"Loki.", she replied mirroring his gestures as they toasted.

He strangely liked how she said his name.


End file.
